How to Count Words in Apache OpenOffice Writer
Blog / WORD COUNTS
In Apache OpenOffice Writer, choose Tools → Word Count to check a document. Select a passage first when you need its count separately. Apache's official documentation also describes document statistics under File → Properties → Statistics; those whole-file statistics serve a different purpose from a selected-text check.
Use Writer's Word Count command
Open the file in Writer and choose Tools → Word Count. Read the dialog carefully to distinguish words from characters and a selection from the full document. The cited Apache guides describe older interfaces, so menu appearance may differ in your installed release.
Do not rely on instructions for LibreOffice merely because the two applications share some history. Their versions and interfaces can diverge. Likewise, Writer instructions should not be treated as a counting procedure for Calc spreadsheets or Impress slides.
Measure an excerpt rather than the entire file
Select the required text from the first intended word through the last intended sentence, then open the same counting command. This is useful for reports with front matter, notes, and appendices that may not belong in an assigned word limit.
Consider a sample report with 680 words of main text and 120 words in a separate planning section. A full-file count of 800 does not mean you have completed an 800-word main-text assignment. Selecting the main text identifies the actual 680-word scope before you decide what needs expanding.
Know when Properties statistics help
File → Properties → Statistics offers an overview of a document. Use it when you want file-level information, but do not substitute a whole-document figure for the selected passage you were asked to submit.
A statistics panel can answer how large the file's text is without answering whether a bibliography should count. That is a rule supplied by your instructor, editor, or application portal. Separate the policy question from the software question: first decide what belongs, then measure that content.
Check an exported copy
If you export a draft to another format, inspect the output before relying on the original count. A heading, note, or omitted passage can change what the recipient receives. Compare the actual text first; a missing paragraph matters more than a small disagreement about compounds.
For an independent check, paste a plain-text excerpt into Top Word Counter. Keep your original file unchanged, and do not include research notes unless they belong in the count. A clean copy is especially useful when the document contains tables or labels that are easy to overlook.
Make revision totals comparable
Record which file and passage you measured. Repeat that same selection after editing instead of switching between an excerpt total and a whole-file total. If the final submission must be measured in a different application, use its counter as the last check rather than insisting that OpenOffice's result must prevail.
Frequently asked questions
What menu gives the OpenOffice Writer word count?
Apache's documentation describes Tools → Word Count.
Can OpenOffice count selected text?
Yes. Select the passage before opening the word-count command.
Is OpenOffice word count the same as LibreOffice?
Do not assume identical results or interfaces across products and versions. Compare the same passage and follow the required submission method.